Week 5-ECHO

This week the class visited ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization) in North Fort Myers.  ECHO is a Christian based, non-profit organization that educates and assists people in poor and developing countries.  They use science and technology to develop realistic and sustainable farming practices for a variety of climate and soil types.  They also serve as a network to transmit information as to what techniques and crops work in certain environments as well as a seed bank to spread those crops that are successful.  This was my second time visiting ECHO and I fully support their mission, helping people to help themselves is the only way to permanently alleviate their situation.  Just giving money or aid to the poor is a temporary solution that will eventually run out and need to be replenished; however teaching a community how to sustainably provide for themselves permanently solves the problem.  The agriculture, animal husbandry, and cooking examples are quite different from what is considered stereotypical “American” farming.  Everything at ECHO is scaled down to a great degree and is focused on maximum output from minimal input where as American agriculture is heavily dependent on inputs, fertilizers and water, fossil fuels and machinery.  Many of the things used in the experiments at ECHO involve using the sun or recycling waste products such as the solar dehydrator and the energy efficient cooking stoves that burn wood and coconut pieces pressed into bricks.  Practicality is also a major aspect of what is done a ECHO, that is why the exchange of information from the people they are helping is so important.  In order to be relevant they must know what ideas are being successfully implemented and where.  I would say they are very relevant considering our guide, Vic, said they received 40-50,000 requests for assistance in the past year on their website www.echonet.org.   I would be interested in performing my service learning with this organization and may even do so before my time at this institution is up.